NEW HAVEN: Najia Khalid, Co-Chair of Wiggin and Dana’s Immigration & Nationality Law & Compliance practice. is promoted to partner as of January 1. According to W&D Najia has “dedicated her legal career to business immigration law – an area that truly hits home for the female attorney and her family.”

Najia’s parents originated from Pakistan and settled in England, Najia’s father left Pakistan to pursue an engineering degree in England, began his career there with a multinational corporation. Najia was born in Croydon, England in the 1980s, Najia’s father was transferred to the U.S. and went through the employment-based permanent residency process to obtain a green card with his employer. Najia remained a green card holder until the horrific 9/11 attacks – an event that the company’s release says “spurred her to seek U.S. citizenship.”

After college, Najia became a business immigration paralegal and her experiences drove her to attend law school at Pace University School of Law, to become a business immigration attorney. After law school, she joined an immigration boutique in New York City as an associate and she later joined Wiggin and Dana in 2012 to develop and expand a dedicated business immigration practice at the firm.

“Immigration has always been an immensely personal issue for me and my family,” comments Najia. “Immigration status affects every aspect of an individual’s life, from family and personal daily matters like securing a home and driver’s license, to educational and career matters. My work in business immigration helps me to do what I am truly passionate about: helping people obtain the ability to legally work and secure their livelihood.”